KRISHNAGIRI: Residents have urged the Tamil Nadu govt to set up a police checkpost at Thakkatti in Krishnagiri district as incidents of smuggling of ration rice to Karnataka continue to rise.
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K Periyasamy of Anchetty has said rice meant for poor families is being smuggled to Karnataka while illegal liquor flows back into our villages. “Unless a permanent police checkpost is established right at Thakkatti, this illegal trade will not stop,” said M Raman of Thakkatti. Smugglers from Karnataka closely monitor the days PDS rice is distributed to the public in border hill villages under Anchetty taluk, including Kottaiyur, Urigam, Kumardhanapalli, Beeranapalli and Thakkatti. Staying locally during distribution, these smugglers operate with the help of certain fair price shop employees and local anti-social elements. They pool together leftover rice from the shops along with rice purchased at low prices from gullible villagers. The collected ration rice is then transported on two-wheelers and four-wheelers through Thakkatti, crossing the Tamil Nadu border into Karnataka via Unsanahalli. In Karnataka rice mills, the smuggled grain is polished and sold at high prices to private restaurants and the public, generating massive illegal profits. Similarly, free ration rice gathered from areas like Nattrampalayam and Keratti is smuggled into Karnataka through Anjettai and Thakkatti. smuggling operations remain largely unchecked Although the local police and the Food Cell CID periodically make nominal arrests and seize vehicles. Residents allege that officials take action only on a superficial level. Currently, only a forest department checkpost exists at Thakkatti, where officials focus solely on verifying forest-related goods. Residents have demanded that the district administration and the civil supplies CID step up surveillance on the Anchetty border. Download the TOI App.